Fastener for rubber heels



y 1931. PIGNANELLI 1,803,641

FASTENER FOR RUBBER HEELS Filed 001;. 4, 1927 L g/ mu: If

Ill urume 1 I J W ATTORNEY Patented May 5, 1931 PATENT OFFICE LU IGIPIGNANELLI, OF TACOMA, WASHI NGTON FASTENEE FOR RUBBER HEELS Applicationfiled October 4, 1927. Serial No. 223,890.

This invention relates to an improved manner and means for securingrubber-heels to shoes in the manufacture-and repair thereof.

Because glue or other cementitious substance has proved unsatisfactoryfor securing rubberheels to leather shoes recourse is had to nails forthis purpose.

Hitherto the nails have been driven through a rubber heel into theleather heel element of a shoe until stopped by the nail headsencountering metal washers'which are embedded in concealed positionswithin the body of the rubber heel.

The relative positioning in the heel of such metal washers, or nailstops, measures the extent to which a rubber heel may be utilized forwhen the rubber below the plane of the washers is worn away to exposeone or more of the washers, the heel is rendered unfit for 320 furtherservice. Inasmuch as such washers are embedded in a heel at or about itsmiddepth and expose one or more of the washers, rubber heels are provenshort lived and much of its material is wasted.

It is the object of the present invention to provide an improved manneror means for securing a rubber-heel to a shoe which will obviate theobjections above referred to and which will enablethe rubber material ofa heel to be operative until it is worn entirely through, thusprolonging the life of a heel.

, More specific objects and advantages ofthe invention will appear inthe following description.

The invention consists in the provision of a member of leather or anequivalent mate rial formed to couple with the rubber a body portion ofa heel and adapted to be interposed between such body and the leatherheel ele ment of a shoe.

The invention also consists in a heel fastener secured to the top ofarubber heel and adapted to serve as a member whereby nails may beemployed to secure the heel to a shoe,

said fastener being located outside of the rubber structure thereof,thereby'permitting the heel to be used until it is worn entirelythrough.

The invention further consists in the novel construction, adaptation andcombination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a view partly in side elevationand partly in longitudinal vertical section,

showing a portion of a shoe, including a rubber heel which isillustrated as held in place by means of fastening devices embodying thepresent invention. Fig. 2 is an underside plan view of the rubber heelshown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan View ofthe blank from which a heelfasteneris formed. Fig. 4c is a longitudinal sectional view ofthefastener and Fig. '5 is a similar View of the heel illustrated in Fig;1, shown detached. Fig. 6 isan underside perspective View of a heelfastener, the design being modified from that illustrated in thepreceding views; Fig. 7. is an upperside perspective view of a rubberheel adapted for use with the design of fastener .or an equivalentmaterial having the shape of a heel and is cut or otherwise formed withincisions 151(Fig. to provide a plurality of tongues 16 which areconnected at one end, as 17, ofeachtot-he body of the fastener. 'Thesetongues 16 are turned downwardly from't'he apertures 18 in such body toprovide pin elements 16 disposed at right angles to the plane of thebody. Said pins, furthermore, are preferably formed into circularc'ross'sections, or nearly so, and rendered rigid by treating the pinswith warm paraifiin or other suitable solidifying material.

The rubber heel 13 is provided with holes 19 disposed "to accommodatethe respective pins "of the-coupler. 'The rubber heel 13 and the coupler14 as described above and illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8 are firmly unitedby means of a suitable adhesive material applied to the several pins andto the contacting surfaces of the rubber-heel and the body of thefastener 14.

The rubber heel 13 and the coupler thus coupled together are secured asa unit to the leather heel element 12 of the shoe by means of nails 20supplemented, preierably, by an adhesive material applied to the leathersurfaces at the joint. The nails 20 extend through the coupler intoengagement with the shoe heel element 12, as shown in Fig. 1; and toaccommodate the insertion of the nails, and a suitable punch (not shown)for driving the nails, the rubber heel 13 is provided with apertures 21.

lVith shoes having small heels such, for example, as womens shoes, theconstruction shown in Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, is found to be mostsuitable, while with larger heels as, for mens shoes, the design shownin Figs. 6, 7 and 8, is preferable. These embodiments of the invention,however, are for illustrative purposes only and may be varied as toform, number, and arrangement the coupling pins 16 and also with regardto the disposition of the shoe nails 20 for securing a unitedrubber-heel and its fastener to the shoe proper.

In practice, a rubber heel and its fastener are secured together byengaging the pins 16 of the fastener l l with the rubber heel 13 in therespective holes 21 of the heel. Preferably, this is done after acoating of adhesive material such as glue or cement-has been applied tothe pins and also to the under surface of the body of the fastener whichcontacts with the rubber heel. The rubber-heel and its fastener thussecured together are connected to the heel element 12 of the shoe bymeans of an intermediate film of an adhesive material.

Nails 20 are then inserted in the holes 21 of the rubber heel and aresuccessively driven therethrough by means of a hammer and a nail punchso that the nails are forced through the fastener 14 until stopped bythe nail heads engaging the fastener as shown in Fig. 1.

The construction and manner of using the invention will, it is thoughtbe understood from the foregoing description.

While I have illustrated and described preferred embodiments of theinvention, I do not wish to be understood as limiting the inventionspecifically thereto as changes may be made therefrom within the scopeof the appended claims.

hat I claim, is,-

1. A means for securing an apertured rubber-heel to a shoe structurecomprising a leather coupler between the shoe structure and the heel,said coupler being provided with pin elements struck-out from theleather coupler inwardly of the peripheral edges thereof and extendingdownwardly into some of the apertures of the heel and terminating flushwith the lower face of the heel, said struck-out pins providingelongated apertures in the coupler forming cushioning air pocketsbetween the shoe structure and rubber heel, and headed nails inserted inother of the heel apertures and driven through the coupler to engage inthe shoe structure, the heads of said nails bearing against the coupler.

2. In a means for securing an apertured rubber-heel to a shoe structure,a coupler consisting of a piece of flexible material adapted to beinterposed between said structure and the heel and having pin elementsstruck-out from the flexible piece of material and protruding therefromto engage the heel in the respective apertures thereof and terminatingflush with the tread surface of the rubber heel.

Signed at l acoma, \Vashington, this 28th

